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Google Head Calls Trump Admin's Climate Denialism "Fantastic"
8 months ago
- Google's CIO praised Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for criticizing the 'climate extremist agenda'.
- Burgum advocated for powering data centers with coal, gas, and nuclear energy.
- The article mentions The Lever's membership benefits, podcasts, events, and e-books.
Google to require developer verification to install and sideload Android apps
8 months ago
- Google will require verified developers for app installations on certified Android devices starting in 2026.
- The rule applies to all installation methods, including third-party stores and sideloading.
- Google aims to reduce malware and financial scams by verifying developer identities.
- A new Android Developer Console will be created for non-Play Store developers.
- Students and hobbyists will have a separate verification process.
- The requirement starts in September 2026 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, then globally from 2027.
- Government authorities in these countries have provided positive feedback on the initiative.
Google is killing first and second gen Nest Thermostats
8 months ago
- Nest ends support for 1st and 2nd gen Learning Thermostats by October 25, 2025.
- Affected devices include 1st gen (2011), 2nd gen (2012), and Europe 2nd gen (2014).
- After October 25, 2025, devices will disconnect from Nest/Google Home apps, losing remote features.
- Basic functions like manual control and pre-set schedules will still work on the device.
- No further software or security updates will be provided, potentially affecting performance.
- Users can check device models via the Nest app, Google Home app, or Nest Community for support.
Show HN: Chat with Nano Banana Directly from WhatsApp
8 months ago
- Nano Banana is Google's latest release for generating and editing images.
- Users can create funny images using Nano Banana.
- Features include instant responses, secure and private conversations, and a personalized experience.
- Available online with 24/7 support.
Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them
8 months ago
- Older Pixel phones (Pixel 6, 7, and 8 series) are reportedly being bricked under various conditions.
- Bricking occurs after actions like switching slots, flashing ROMs, downgrading the OS, or installing the June 2025 update.
- Google is allegedly refusing to provide recovery bootloader images to fix the issue, citing 'security reasons'.
- A Redditor claims to have encountered numerous bricked Pixels in repair stores, with over 100 cases reported.
- Users and repair professionals are questioning Google's reasoning, arguing recovery bootloaders wouldn't introduce new security risks.
- Android Authority has reached out to Google for comment and awaits a response.
FTC claims Gmail filtering Republican emails threatens "American freedoms"
8 months ago
- FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson accuses Google of partisan spam filtering in Gmail, favoring Democratic emails over Republican ones.
- Ferguson sent a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, alleging potential FTC Act violations related to unfair or deceptive trade practices.
- The letter cites a New York Post report claiming Gmail's filters block Republican fundraising emails while allowing similar Democratic ones.
- Ferguson warns that such practices could harm consumers and trigger an FTC investigation or enforcement action.
- Google denies bias, stating Gmail's spam filters use objective signals and apply equally to all senders, regardless of political ideology.
No Clicks, No Content: The Unsustainable Future of AI Search
8 months ago
- AI companies are diverting traffic from publishers, leading to a content drought.
- Publishers are struggling to survive through lawsuits, partnerships, paywalls, and micropayments.
- Generative AI platforms are disrupting not just publishing but a larger online economy.
- Businesses that relied on Google searches for traffic are now losing clicks due to AI-generated answers.
- AI companies depend on existing content to train their models, raising sustainability concerns.
- Google's shift to AI-driven search results is breaking its long-standing symbiotic relationship with publishers.
- Regulation may be needed to address the unfair use of scraped content by AI companies.
- Current lawsuits favor AI companies, suggesting new laws might be necessary but may come too late.
- The AI industry may be in an economic bubble, with high infrastructure costs and unprofitability risks.
Google gets off easy in the most significant monopoly case since Microsoft trial
8 months ago
- Google was ruled a monopolist by Judge Amit Mehta for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.
- The court barred Google from making exclusive deals with phone and browser makers to maintain default search engine status.
- Google must share some search data with competitors but not its advertising data.
- An independent oversight committee will monitor Google's compliance for six years.
- Google's stock rose 8% following the decision, seen as a win for the company.
- Google is expected to appeal the ruling, which will pause the judge's orders.
The worst possible antitrust outcome
8 months ago
- Google lost an antitrust case to Biden's DoJ, proven to have maintained a monopoly over search illegally.
- Judge Amit Mehta's remedy for Google's antitrust case is criticized as weak, allowing Google to keep its divisions intact without significant penalties.
- Google is ordered to share sensitive data with competitors, raising privacy concerns and doubts about the effectiveness of the remedy.
- Critics describe the ruling as 'judicial cowardice' and a failure to enforce antitrust laws properly.
- The EU is reportedly dropping its fine against Google to avoid angering Trump, highlighting political influences on antitrust actions.
- Cory Doctorow's upcoming and recent works focus on technology, privacy, and societal issues, including 'Enshittification' and 'The Bezzle'.
Google is down in Eastern Europe
8 months ago
- Google is currently experiencing issues, with user reports indicating problems.
- Google Search is the most widely used search engine, processing over 3.5 billion searches daily.
- Outages are identified by unusual patterns in user report activity.
- A confirmed outage today affected multiple countries, including Türkiye, Bulgaria, Greece, and others.
- Social media monitoring is used to detect service issues.
- Users report Google services being down, particularly in Southeastern Europe.
- Issues include slow website loading and inability to access Google services.
- Some users suspect the problem is related to data center infrastructure.
Google deletes net-zero pledge from sustainability website
8 months ago
- Google's CEO Sundar Pichai announced in 2020 that Google aimed to operate carbon-free 24/7 by 2030.
- By 2024, Google's net-zero pledge was quietly demoted on its Sustainability website, shifting focus to 'Energy' due to AI expansion challenges.
- Google's electricity consumption surged by 26% in 2024, nearing Ireland's total usage, driven by AI data centers.
- McKinsey predicts AI-driven data centers will require $5.2 trillion in investment by 2030, consuming 70% of new electricity demand.
- Google's ambiguous stance includes removing net-zero headlines but maintaining 2030 goals, relying on carbon offsets.
- Experts note a 'net-zero recession' but emphasize that most sectors are recalibrating goals, not abandoning climate action.
- Trump's anti-climate policies and AI's energy demands may have influenced Google's retreat from public net-zero commitments.
EU slaps Google with €2.95B fine despite Trump trade threat
8 months ago
- The European Commission fined Google €2.95 billion for abusing its dominant position in the advertising technology market.
- Google is accused of favoring its own services, harming competitors, advertisers, and online publishers.
- The Commission highlighted 'inherent conflicts of interest' due to Google's control over multiple parts of the digital ads ecosystem.
Nest 1st gen and 2nd gen thermostats no longer supported from 10/25/2025
8 months ago
- Google will no longer support Nest 1st and 2nd gen thermostats via the Nest or Home apps.
- Local operation remains, but remote control via apps or APIs will be discontinued.
- Hubitat integration may not work unless a workaround is found.
- Consider switching to locally controlled Zigbee/Z-Wave or Ecobee thermostats.
- Nest Gen 4 (2020+) supports Matter for local control, but availability varies by region.
- Planned obsolescence and cloud dependency are concerns with Google/Nest products.
- Ecobee thermostats offer local control via Home Assistant, ensuring future reliability.
- Google's $150 offer for Gen 4 thermostats may not guarantee long-term support.
- Go Control Z-Wave thermostat is a Hubitat-native alternative without cloud dependency.
- Google's past actions (e.g., Nest Secure, Protect) suggest future EOL risks for Nest products.
AI Mode Is Good
8 months ago
- Google's new 'AI mode' is surprisingly effective, similar to GPT-5 search but faster.
- Initial experiments show Google is leveraging its search infrastructure for AI-assisted search.
- Disappointment: 'AI mode' doesn't reveal the searches it runs, impacting trust and evaluation.
- Author previously had low expectations due to generic naming and poor 'AI overviews' experience.
- Google's AI mode is not available in the EU, as discovered while the author was in France.
EU Fines Google $3.5B; Must Divest Part of Ad-Tech Business
8 months ago
- The European Union has fined Google $3.5 billion (2.95 billion euro) for favoring its own digital advertising services, violating competition rules.
- Google is required to divest part of its ad-tech business and end 'self-preferencing practices' to resolve anti-competitive issues.
- This is the EU's fourth antitrust penalty against Google, following previous fines in 2018 ($5 billion over Android) and 2016 (AdSense/AdWords).
- Google plans to appeal, calling the fine 'unjustified' and claiming the required changes will harm European businesses.
- The EU has given Google 60 days to propose compliance measures, threatening forced divestment if it fails to act.
- The ruling contrasts with weaker remedies in the US, raising questions about whether the EU can enforce stricter antitrust measures.
Google gets away almost scot-free in US search antitrust case
8 months ago
- Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google violated the Sherman Antitrust Act but imposed minimal penalties.
- Google must share some search data with rivals but can still maintain paid search agreements.
- Google's market dominance in search is highlighted, with 90% market share and $146 billion in ad revenue.
- The ruling contrasts with historical antitrust cases like IBM, where stricter measures were taken.
- Potential impacts of forcing Google to divest Chrome or Android are discussed, including industry chaos.
- Chrome's dominance and Firefox's reliance on Google payments are noted.
- AI-powered search alternatives like Perplexity and ChatGPT are mentioned as emerging competitors.
- Experts view the ruling as a victory for Google, with Alphabet's stock rising 11% post-decision.
- The EU fined Google $3.5 billion for ad monopoly abuse, but it's a small fraction of its revenue.
New Google Court Doc: Open Web Is in Rapid Decline
8 months ago
- Google's CEO and VP of Search previously stated the web is thriving, but a recent court document from Google's lawyers claims the open web is in rapid decline.
- The court document suggests that divestiture proposals would harm publishers relying on open-web display advertising revenue.
- The statement contradicts earlier executive comments and aligns with concerns from the open web community.
- Google's VP of Global Ads clarified that the decline reference was specific to 'open-web display advertising', not the open web as a whole.
- The discrepancy raises questions about whether Google executives misled the public or the court.
In court filing, Google concedes the open web is in "rapid decline"
8 months ago
- Google is fighting a legal battle to avoid splitting its ad business after losing an antitrust case.
- Google claims the open web is in rapid decline and divesting its AdX marketplace would harm web publishers reliant on ad revenue.
- The DOJ previously sought to force a Chrome divestment in a search antitrust trial but was denied.
- Google dominates the internet, with websites compelled to follow its standards due to lack of competition.
- A court ruled Google suppressed rival ad technologies by tying its display ad services with AdX.
- Google defends AI search, claiming stable web traffic, despite studies showing drops in clicks from AI Overviews.
- Critics argue Google is contradicting itself by praising AI search while warning about the web's decline.
Google is shutting down Tables, its Airtable rival
8 months ago
- Google Tables, a work-tracking tool, is shutting down after December 16, 2025.
- Users are advised to migrate data to Google Sheets or AppSheet.
- Launched in 2020, Tables focused on project tracking with automation.
- Originally from Google's Area 120 incubator, it became a Google Cloud product in 2021.
- Area 120 was downsized in 2022, focusing on AI, and later wound down in 2023.
- Tables survived these changes but now faces shutdown.
- Google recommends migrating to Sheets or using AppSheet for no-code workflows.
- AppSheet offers data models for custom apps and workflows since June 2023.
We're launching a new Google app for Windows experiment in Labs
8 months ago
- Google launches a new experimental app for Windows in Labs.
- Allows users to search without switching windows using Alt + Space.
- Searches include computer files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web.
- Features Google Lens for on-screen selection and search.
- Supports translating images/text, homework help, and more.
- Includes AI Mode for deeper responses and follow-up questions.
- Available for trial by opting into the experiment in Labs.

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#google

Google Head Calls Trump Admin's Climate Denialism "Fantastic"

Google to require developer verification to install and sideload Android apps

Google is killing first and second gen Nest Thermostats

Show HN: Chat with Nano Banana Directly from WhatsApp

Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them

FTC claims Gmail filtering Republican emails threatens "American freedoms"

No Clicks, No Content: The Unsustainable Future of AI Search

Google gets off easy in the most significant monopoly case since Microsoft trial

The worst possible antitrust outcome

Google is down in Eastern Europe

Google deletes net-zero pledge from sustainability website

EU slaps Google with €2.95B fine despite Trump trade threat

Nest 1st gen and 2nd gen thermostats no longer supported from 10/25/2025

AI Mode Is Good

EU Fines Google $3.5B; Must Divest Part of Ad-Tech Business

Google gets away almost scot-free in US search antitrust case

New Google Court Doc: Open Web Is in Rapid Decline

In court filing, Google concedes the open web is in "rapid decline"

Google is shutting down Tables, its Airtable rival

We're launching a new Google app for Windows experiment in Labs